Film : A Critical Introduction

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Film: A Critical Introductionprovides readers with the skills needed to successfully critique and analyze film and teaches #xA0;strategies for translating ideas about film into written criticism and analysis.Intricate discussions of the current issues in film theory, from sound production to documentaries, keep readers#x19; perspectives on film fresh and informed. Part I introduces readers to the importance of film analysis, offering helpful strategies for discerning the way films produce meaning. Part II examines the fundamental elements of film, including narrative form, mise en sc#xE8;ne, cinematography, editing, and sound, and shows how these concepts can be used to interpret films. Part III frames the debates around ideological criticism, national and transnational cinema, and genre and auteur theory that animate contemporary film scholarship.

Preface x

Part one

Introduction to Film Analysis 1

1 Introduction 3

Cinema: A Confluence of Artistry, Industry, and Technology 4

How This Book is Organized 6

Technical Tips 8

2 An Approach to Film Analysis 9

Understanding Audience Expectations 10

Expectations and Modes of Organization 11

Expectations about Genres, Stars, and Directors 13

The Orchestration of Detail 14

Motifs 15

Parallels 16

Details and Structure 18

Parallels and Structure 18

Turning Points 18

Repetition and Non-chronological Structure 19

Creating Meaning Through the World Beyond the Film 20

Historical Events and Cultural Attitudes 20

Stars and Public Figures as References 21

Intertextual References 22

Meaningful References with Objects 26

The Goal of Film Analysis: Articulating Meaning 26

The Importance of Developing Interpretive Claims 30

Summary 30

Film Analysis: Reading Significant Details 31

The Orchestration of Detail in Pan’s Labyrinth31

3 Writing About Film 37

Getting Started 38

Keeping a Film Journal 38

Formulating a Thesis 38

Managing Verb Tense 39

Four Types of Writing About Film 39

The Scene Analysis Paper 39

“The Divided Human Spirit in Fritz Lang’s The Big Heat” 41

The Film Analysis 43

“The Anxieties of Modernity in Steamboat Bill Jr.”44

The Research Paper 46

“The New Vampire as Sympathetic Gothic Heroine in Tomas Alfredson’s Let The Right One In”49

Conducting Archival Research 57

The Popular Review 58

“Aliens as Apartheid Metaphor in District 9”59

Part Two

Film Analysis 63

4 Narrative Form 65

Defining Narrative 66

Framing the Fictional World: Diegetic and Non-diegetic Elements 67

Within the Diegesis: Selecting and Organizing Events 69

Narrative Structure 70

Alternatives to Conventional Narrative Structure 72

Techniques in Practice: Narrative Structure in Stagecoach74

Variations on Narrative Conventions: Beyond Structure 77

Perspective and Meaning 78

Character Subjectivity 80

Techniques in Practice: Noticing Shifts in Narration 82

Summary 84

Film Analysis: Analyzing Narrative Structure 85

5 Mise en Scène 91

Setting 93

Describing Setting: Visual and Spatial Attributes 95

The Functions of Setting 96

The Human Figure 97

Casting 97

Techniques in Practice: Same Film, Different Settings 97

Techniques in Practice: Same Setting, Different Film 98

Acting Style 101

Acting Brechtian: Distancing the Audience 103

Actors’ Bodies: Figure Placement 104

Techniques in Practice: Figure Placement in Citizen Kane104

Actors’ Bodies: Costumes and Props 106

Actors’ Bodies: Makeup 107

Lighting 109

Composition 114

Balance and Symmetry 114

Lines and Diagonals 115

Foreground and Background 117

Light and Dark 118

Color 118

Two Approaches to Mise en Scène121

The Frame in Two Dimensions: Mise en Scènein German Expressionism 121

Combining Mise en Scène and Camerawork: The Frame in Three Dimensions in French Poetic Realism 122

Summary 124

Film Analysis: The Functions of Space 126

Spatial Oppositions in Thelma & Louise126

6 Cinematography 129

The Camera in Time and Space 133

Creating Meaning in Time: The Shot 133

Altering Time: Slow and Fast Motion 134

The Camera and Space: Height, Angle, and Shot Distance 138

Camera Height 138

Camera Angle 139

Camera Distance 141

Camera Movement: Exploring Space 144

Horizontal and Vertical Movement 144

Movement in Three Dimensions 145

Lenses and Filters: The Frame in Depth 148

The Visual Characteristics of Lenses: Depth of Field and Focal Length 148